Republican Christie captures NJ governor's seat

AP - By ANGELA DELLI SANTI

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Republican Chris Christie, a former corruption-busting prosecutor, unseated the deep-pocketed but unpopular Gov. Jon Corzine on Tuesday in a bruising contest that focused on New Jersey's ailing economy, its highest-in-the-nation property taxes and even Christie's weight.

Christie, 47, became the first member of his party in a dozen years to win a statewide contest in heavily Democratic New Jersey.

"Tomorrow, starting tomorrow, we are going to pick Trenton up and turn it upside down," Christie said in his acceptance speech in Parsippany in front of cheering supporters.

President Barack Obama invested heavily in the race, campaigning with Corzine five times on three separate visits. A Republican captured the only other governor's race in the country, in Virginia, a troubling sign for Obama heading into next year's midterm elections.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Christie had 1,135,181 votes, or 49 percent, compared with 1,033,522, or 45 percent, for Corzine. Independent candidate Chris Daggett, who at one point had been feared as a potential spoiler, had 132,245 votes, about 6 percent.

Daggett may have cut into Corzine's base. Two-thirds of Daggett voters approved of Obama, suggesting they were more likely to lean Democratic, according to an Associated Press exit poll.

Corzine also failed to sway unaffiliated women voters, a majority of whom voted for Christie despite being courted by Corzine.

Corzine said he called Christie just before 11 p.m. Tuesday "and congratulated him on becoming New Jersey's next governor." He pledged to work with Christie to ensure a smooth transition.

"We might be retiring from politics," Corzine said in his concession speech, "but we are not retiring from the fight or for speaking up for the things we believe in."

Christie accepted public financing in the race against the wealthy incumbent and was outspent $23 million to $11 million. He did get financial help from the Republican Governors Association and other national Republican groups, which bought television time in the pricey New York and Philadelphia media markets.

Christie ran on a platform of smaller government and relentlessly criticized Corzine for what he called poor economic stewardship. State unemployment was at 9.8 percent in October and property taxes averaged $7,045 per household, the nation's highest. But he was criticized during the campaign for remaining vague about how he would solve New Jersey's chronic fiscal problems.